Nightmares and Reality
by Challenger2011
Summary: Sequel to 'Little One'. Bumblebee's nightmare has finally come true when he loses his vocal processor. Unfortunately overcoming his new disability is going to be the least of his and his family's problems.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it. **

**A/N: And here is the sequel to 'Little One'. It's not exactly necessary to have read that story before this one, but some parts would probably make more sense if you did. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Bumblebee remembered when he first asked Optimus when he could begin training. He had been five vorns old and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had just started their training. He had known that he was a lot younger than the twins, but they were his main playmates and once they started training he hadn't got to play with them as much. Add in the fact that Optimus was gone from base a lot more on missions, he had gotten very lonely. To him, training would be the perfect solution. He had been dismayed when Optimus had immediately shot down his idea, telling him that he was much too young to be anywhere near the training room let alone beginning to train himself. After that he had ran into the room that he shared with his father and hid under his berth for two joors until Optimus pulled him out and carefully explained to him why he didn't want him training yet. Bumblebee had understood and hadn't brought it up again until two vorns ago. Even then Optimus had been reluctant to let him, but after a while he finally caved. Missions had been another thing entirely though. Optimus always sent him on the more simple missions, with the same explanation every time: he was a scout and he was still a youngling. Putting his life at stake was not an option. But now that he was in his current predicament, Bumblebee was sure that he was never going to be sent on another mission again.

It was supposed to be another simple mission. He and the unit he had been assigned to were supposed to keep any Decepticons that strayed into Tyger Pax busy until the AllSpark could be launched into space. Optimus was delaying Megatron's main forces in Simfur, but apparently someone had forgotten to tell that to the Decepticon leader. Things had already gone wrong when they had been captured and the majority of his unit had been tortured and killed for information, but now Megatron himself had arrived and was demanding to know the location of the AllSpark.

Bumblebee didn't know if Megatron knew that he was Optimus' son. He had been told that when he was a sparkling Megatron had sparklingnapped him from Optimus and Elita during an attack on a base. No one knew if Megatron had discovered that Bumblebee was his nephew during that time, but they did know that he knew that the youngling, then sparkling, was very close to the Autobot leader. It was because of that, that Bumblebee wasn't surprised that he was the one that Megatron interrogated instead of Arcee, who was the only one besides himself left. He had remained defiant and refused to tell Megatron anything, which ended up costing him his arm. And then when the AllSpark was finally launched, he had been able to stop Megatron from going after it right away, but that had come at a price. His vocal processor had been crushed.

He was amazed that he hadn't fallen into stasis lock from all the damage he had. Though honestly he was beginning to wish he had. At least then all of the pain that was throbbing all over him would fade into oblivion. He tried to move his head to see if Arcee was okay, but even the slightest movement of his neck made the pain he already felt much, much worse. Bumblebee closed his optics and tried to force himself into recharge to escape reality for just a little while.

* * *

Ratchet sighed as he and a team of medics arrived at Tyger Pax. Bodies from both factions were littered across the ground and a quick scan showed that there was no way to save any of them. The further along they got, the worse everything became.

"Ratchet, we found a survivor!" one of the other medics called.

Ratchet hurried over to where the other medic was standing and found Arcee bound against a structure. A quick scan told him that she had suffered no major injuries, but would still require some medical treatment for her minor wounds. Right as he was about to help her down, she finally spoke up.

"Help Bumblebee," she quickly said.

"We haven't found him yet Arcee," the medic shook his head.

"He's over there. Help him," the femme quickly replied. It was easy for Ratchet to see the worry in her optics concerning her nephew.

After instructing the other medic to help the femme down, Ratchet headed off in the direction that Arcee had indicated. Only a few feet away from Arcee, was one of the youngling's arms. Ratchet bent down and picked it up before continuing on to see if he could find the rest of him. It didn't take long to come across Bumblebee's battered frame. The medic bent down and placed a servo on the arm still attached to the scout's body, which only caused his optics to snap open. Bumblebee frantically looked around before trying to say something. When only static emerged from the youngling and an expression of pain made itself known on his face, Ratchet examined his neck. What had happened to Bumblebee had instantly become clear. Someone had completely crushed his vocal processor. The damage to it looked very severe and Ratchet wasn't even sure if it would be repairable.

"Is he going to be okay," Arcee asked from behind him.

"He's not leaking too much energon, but that could change when we start to move him. His arm should be a fairly simple repair, but his vocal processor…"

"What about his vocal processor?"

"I'm not sure if it can be repaired, but I won't know for sure until I get him to a med-bay. Arcee, who did this?"

"Megatron," the femme bitterly replied.

"Bumblebee I'm going to put you into stasis. You're safe now youngling."

* * *

When Ratchet told Optimus Prime to come to the med-bay the moment he returned to the base from Simfur, he knew something was wrong. The Autobot leader had been concerned when Megatron had not been with his main forces in Simfur and when he entered the med-bay only to see Bumblebee lying on one of the medical berths that concern only increased.

"What happened?" he asked as Ratchet walked over to him.

"Megatron ended up going to Tyger Pax. Bumblebee and Arcee were the only survivors of their unit. She wasn't damaged too badly, but Bumblebee's arm had been torn off and Megatron crushed his vocal processor."

"Will he be alright?"

"His arm was a simple fix, but it will take time for it to be fully functional again. His vocal processor on the other hand," Ratchet just shook his head. "There's nothing I can do to fix it. Bumblebee is not going to be able to talk again. I'm sorry Optimus."

"You did your best Ratchet. I'm just grateful that he is alive."

"I wish I could have done more. He should be out of stasis soon. I think it will be good to have you here when he finds out he's mute."

Optimus nodded his head and walked over to Bumblebee's berth. He gently placed one of his servos on his son's non-damaged arm and sat down next to him. He had come to a realization several vorns ago that to keep Bumblebee safe from danger was going to be a near impossible task with a war going on. But that hadn't stopped him from trying. He had kept his youngling out of the field until both his sparkmate, Elita, and Bumblebee had ganged up on him and pointed out that Bumblebee needed to know how to defend himself. After that he had made sure to mainly send Bumblebee on scouting missions to ensure that he wouldn't be in many battles where he could be killed. Optimus knew that it annoyed the youngling when he was being overprotective, but as both a commander and a father he felt his decisions were sound. At times he really wondered if Bumblebee truly understood why he and Elita were both very protective of him.

They had almost lost him three times when he was a sparkling, before he had even been online for a full vorn. Making sure that the Decepticons did not find out that Bumblebee was the son of the Autobot leader and his sparkmate had been a never-ending struggle and Optimus still wasn't sure if they had succeeded in that. Megatron knew he was close to the youngling, there was no denying that, but had his brother ever learnt more than that, Optimus had no idea. But Megatron had made some comments that made Optimus believe that he had, though that left the Autobot leader unsure why Megatron had left the youngling alive. Optimus decided not to dwell on it and instead let himself feel relieved that he still had his son with him.

A small burst of static brought his attention back to Bumblebee. The youngling was now awake and looking up at him with a mixture of fear and pain on his face.

"You're safe little one," Optimus reassured.

_Krzzz._

"I'm sorry Bumblebee, but there was nothing I could do for your vocal processor. It was too damaged for my repairs," Ratchet said as he walked over to the other side of Bumblebee's berth.

A look of alarm appeared on Bumblebee's face as he let out bursts of static repeatedly. Optimus and Ratchet both knew that he was trying to speak – not wanting to believe that he really no longer had his voice. After a few breems he stopped, despair making itself known. The youngling visibly deflated in front of the two older Autobots.

"Bumblebee I know this is hard for you, but everything else is alright. You are still the same youngling without your voice and I know you can overcome this disability," Optimus gently said.

Bumblebee just shook his head. Optimus didn't understand, his voice was a big part of him. He loved to talk and ask questions, and now he could do neither. He vaguely could remember a nightmare he had had a few times when he was a sparkling. In the nightmare there was always an evil mech laughing telling him how he couldn't speak and that everyone was going to forget about him. The thought of everyone forgetting about him had always terrified him. He had never told Optimus or Elita or anyone else for that matter about the nightmares. He hadn't had them since he was a sparkling after all and it seemed pointless to bring it up. But just the mere thought of Optimus and Elita forgetting that he even existed was enough to frighten him to the very core.

"I'm going to keep him in here for the rest of the orn," Ratchet informed Optimus. "I want to make sure that there's no hidden damage."

Optimus nodded and stepped to the side to speak with Ratchet.

"Is there any way for Bumblebee to have some form of communication?"

"He should be able to communicate with you and Elita through your bond, and he may be able to possibly send texts to the rest of us through the comm. I know it won't be the same for him, but it would be better than nothing. I'll tell him later, I think he could use some rest right now," Ratchet said looking over at Bumblebee who looked like he was about to fall back into recharge. "He's had quite the orn."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it. I wish I did though, I really want a Bumblebee Camaro.**

* * *

Bumblebee stared up at the ceiling in boredom as he lay on his berth. Actually it wasn't even his own berth; it was a temporary berth that had been moved into Optimus' room while Bumblebee was in recovery. Every time he was injured or not feeling well, Ratchet would allow him to stay in Optimus' room instead of the med-bay as long as he wasn't too bad off or Optimus wasn't off base. He guessed it was one of the perks of being Optimus Prime's son. It wasn't too bad staying in there, and honestly he much preferred it to being stuck with Ratchet, but it was so boring. He turned over to his side to see that Optimus was working on going over some reports.

_(Optimus I'm bored.) _Bumblebee said over their bond.

Optimus placed down the report he was reviewing and turned around, "I know you are Bumblebee. Why do you not try recharging for a little while?"

_(I recharged earlier. Why can't I go and do other stuff for a while?) _

"You have to either stay in here or in the med-bay while you recover Bumblebee. You know that."

_(Why? My arm's already a lot better and the only other thing damaged is my stupid voice.)_

Optimus could hear Bumblebee's bitterness at not having his voice anymore as clearly over their bond as he could have if Bumblebee had been able to speak. And it was that bitterness that was causing him to keep his son in his room for the time being. Whenever Bumblebee wasn't acting like his usual self, he liked being able to keep an optic on him.

"Little one," he sighed.

_(You and Elita aren't going to forget about me now that I can't talk right?)_

"What?" Optimus asked in shock, looking at Bumblebee who had his optics trained on the ground.

_(When I was a sparkling I had nightmares about me losing my voice and there was a mech in it that said that everyone was going to forget about me. Since I lost my voice… is what he said going to be true too?)_

"Why did you never tell me about these nightmares?"

_(I don't know. Is it true? Are you going to forget about me?)_

Optimus walked over and helped Bumblebee sit up before sitting down next to him.

"Bumblebee, Elita and I will _never _forget about you. You are our son and nothing is going to change that, voice or no voice."

_(Are you sure?)_

"Yes I am sure. We love you, Bumblebee. Do not forget that," Optimus gently placed his servo on one of Bumblebee's shoulders.

_(You promise?) _Bumblebee finally looked up into Optimus' optics.

"Yes, little one. I promise."

_(Okay. Hey Optimus, why do you always call me little one?)_

"Because you were always such a tiny little sparkling," Optimus explained, smiling fondly at the memories. "Do you wish for me to stop calling you that now?"

Bumblebee quickly shook his head no. Optimus' nickname for him had become a source of comfort throughout his life. He always called him that whenever he was upset or scared or sick. It was mainly only Optimus that called him that, so whenever he heard it he knew that his father was most likely nearby and that always made him feel safe. He wasn't exactly sure why, but it did. Optimus smiled and rubbed Bumblebee's helm before getting back up. He really needed to finish going over those reports soon as they contained details on the plans to leave Cybertron. Their planet was dying and would soon be unable to support any life on it. From what he had been told about the events at Tyger Pax, Optimus knew that Megatron had left to go after the AllSpark. They needed to find it before he could. This had led Optimus to the decision that he and a small team would go after the AllSpark – as an attempt at preventing Megatron from getting his servos on it. Optimus already knew that Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz would be coming with him. It was the final member of the team that he had been debating on.

The final member of the team would have to be a scout, and Bumblebee was one of the Autobots' best scouts. Bringing him along would be a good idea strategically and would also allow Optimus to keep a close optic on him. But there was a strong chance that they could run into Megatron, and after what had recently happened Optimus wanted to keep Bumblebee away from him. It was not an easy choice for him to make. The youngling would most likely be safer if he was left with Elita while Optimus and the others went after the AllSpark. But it would also be useful to have Bumblebee with them on the team. Optimus let out a sigh. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Ironhide was surprised when he saw Optimus come into the rec-room by himself. Normally the Autobot leader was followed by a certain yellow youngling, especially when said youngling was recovering from an injury.

"Where's Bumblebee?"

"Recharging," Optimus answered, walking over to the weapons specialist. "I needed to get out of the room for a little while to think."

"Still haven't decided on whether you should bring the youngling with us?"

"No," the Autobot leader shook his head while he grabbed a cube of energon. "I do not know what to do. It would be good to have him with us, but it would most likely be safer for him if he stayed behind."

"You know you can't protect him from everything, right? The youngling may still need you and Elita, but he's not defenseless. He can take care of himself in a fight and I should know since I helped train him."

"Tyger Pax."

"Well he's going to get hurt every now and then," Ironhide shrugged. "But he survived. If you don't want him to ever get hurt, you're just going to have to lock him away for the rest of his life. I'm sure he would love that."

"I know that I cannot protect Bumblebee from everything Ironhide, no matter how much I wish that I could. It is just that I do not want to lose him."

"All of us know that you don't Prime, but he has a better chance of losing you then you do of him. You're the main one that Megatron wants dead."

Optimus knew all of this very well. He _was _the one that Megatron wanted dead the most, but he also knew that by extension his brother also wanted Bumblebee and Elita gone as well. The fact that Megatron hadn't killed Bumblebee at Tyger Pax was a miracle and Optimus had the feeling that if Megatron had not been so obsessed with getting the AllSpark, his youngling would not be with them anymore.

"Maybe you should talk to Elita about it," Ironhide suggested. "And Bumblebee as well, since this affects him."

"I was already planning on discussing this with Elita when she arrives in a few joors. I suppose I will talk with Bumblebee about it as well."

* * *

Elita sighed as she sat down on Bumblebee's berth and carefully rubbed her youngling's back. When she had arrived a joor ago, Optimus had told her that he needed to discuss whether or not Bumblebee should stay with her or go on the AllSpark mission with him, with her and Bumblebee, so she was now waiting for him in his room. Bumblebee had been recharging when she had come into the room and she hadn't felt the need to wake him up just yet. Looking at him now it was difficult to tell what he had recently been through. A quick look at his neck though allowed Elita to see the scars that marred him.

"My poor little Bumblebee," she whispered softly. "None of this should have happened to you."

It was only a few breems later that baby blue optics gazed up at her. A brief look of confusion flickered on Bumblebee's face before a bit of a happier one replaced it.

"Hello Bumblebee," Elita smiled at him.

_(Hi Elita, what are you doing here?) _

"I wanted to come see you. How are you feeling?"

_(I'm okay, but I've been better. Where's Optimus?)_

"He'll be back in here soon. He needs to talk to us about something."

_(What does he need to talk to us about?)_

"Has Optimus told you that he, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz are going to go after the AllSpark to prevent Megatron from getting it?" Elita asked. She wasn't very surprised when Bumblebee shook his head no. "Well we're trying to decide whether it would be better for you to go with them or to stay with me."

_(This is because of what happened at Tyger Pax isn't it?)_

"Yes," she replied. "We just want you to be safe Bumblebee."

_(I know, I know.)_

It was silent for a little while after that until Optimus came into the room. He sat down in front of Elita and Bumblebee, and explained to the two of them about the mission. He also mentioned his thoughts and concerns on bringing Bumblebee with him. Once he was finished, he waited for Elita and Bumblebee to express their thoughts.

"I think that Bumblebee should go with you, if that's what he wants to do," Elita said. "He will be just as safe with you as he would be with me, probably safer really since he shouldn't be in as many battles."

"Alright, then it is your decision Bumblebee," Optimus turned his gaze to the youngling. "What do you want to do?"

_(I want to go with you, 'Hide, Ratchet, and Jazz.)_

"Well I guess that's settled then," Elita replied. "When will you be leaving?"

"It will be a few orns before we go. There are still a few things that need to be prepared."

Bumblebee felt a little excited about the mission. He had never been off Cybertron before, truthfully he didn't think that his creators had ever left the planet before either, and this would be a new adventure. He would get to see new planets and maybe get to explore them, something that fit his curious nature perfectly. His excitement only went so far though and he sincerely hoped that Optimus could not detect the terror that coursed through him at the prospect of coming across Megatron again. But Bumblebee felt that if he didn't leave with Optimus and the others now, he never would.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

Ratchet sighed as he turned to face the yellow and black youngling sitting on the medical berth. He had needed to check and make sure that Bumblebee's arm was healing properly and he wanted to try to see if there was anything he could do for the scout's vocal processor before it was time for them to leave Cybertron. Unfortunately he still could not think of any way to repair Bumblebee's vocal processor. It irritated him to no end, knowing that there was nothing he could do to help the youngling recover in that aspect. The medic wasn't ready to admit defeat just yet though, but at the moment there was something else that needed to be addressed.

"Do Optimus and Elita know that you haven't been recharging?"

: _I've recharged. _: Bumblebee sent through the comm.

"Not for a full cycle. According to my scans you haven't had a full recharge cycle since Tyger Pax. Do you care to explain why that is?"

: _I've had some nightmares. _:

"Have you told Optimus and Elita?"

The youngling simply shook his head no as an answer.

"Bumblebee… You know that you need to get full recharge cycles. As a youngling it's not good for you if you don't. If you're having nightmares you need to tell Optimus and Elita. It would do you some good to get them off your mind."

: _I don't want to bother them and I really don't like to talk about it. _:

Bumblebee knew that Optimus and Elita rarely got to spend a lot of time with each other. And in two orns Optimus would be leaving Cybertron and then they most likely wouldn't be seeing each other at all until he returned. It didn't seem fair to Bumblebee to bother them with his nightmares and ruin the time they had together.

"Bumblebee they're your creators and they need to know about these sorts of things if they are interfering with your wellbeing."

: _It's not interfering with my wellbeing. _:

"It's affecting your recharge cycle which affects your wellbeing. Either I tell them or you do. Either way they're going to find out."

: _I don't want them to worry._ :

"Why would they—the nightmares are about Tyger Pax aren't they?"

: _Yes._ :

"Bumblebee that was the first major battle you've been in and you were injured in the process of it. It's understandable that you would have nightmares about what happened. I don't think that's going to cause Optimus and Elita to worry. I imagine you would find that they too have had their own share of nightmares from battles."

: _You sure?_ :

"I'm sure. They'll only want to help you. Now are you going to tell them?"

: _I guess. _: Bumblebee shifted on the berth.

"Good," Ratchet said. "Now go have some fun or something."

* * *

Bumblebee looked nervously at the door to Optimus' room. Sure Ratchet had said that his creators probably wouldn't worry about his nightmares, but he wasn't quite as sure. What if Optimus thought that he wouldn't be able to handle fighting anymore since he was having nightmares about the first battle he had been in? Bumblebee didn't think he could handle being forced to sit on the sidelines while the rest of his family was out there risking their lives. But he had told the medic that he would tell Optimus and Elita about the nightmares and he was going to do just that.

_(Optimus?) _Bumblebee asked through their bond when he entered the room. While he could talk to Optimus and Elita through the comm like he was learning to do with everyone else, he preferred communicating to his creators through the bond he shared with them. It felt more personal that way.

"What is it Bumblebee?" Optimus turned to face the youngling.

_(I've been having nightmares.)_

"Come here little one, what are your nightmares about?"

Bumblebee walked over and sat down next to Optimus, keeping his optics trained on the ground the entire time.

_(They're about Tyger Pax. I keep seeing everyone die and then…)_

"And then what?"

_(And then… Megatron shows up and crushes my vocal processor again and says stuff. The nightmare gets worse every time.)_

Optimus could see a slight tremor to Bumblebee's frame and carefully wrapped his arm around his son in an attempt at comforting him. He had known that there was a chance that Bumblebee would have trouble coping with what had happened. He had seen things that no youngling should ever have to witness. And to make matters worse, Bumblebee had been maimed. Losing his voice would remain an enteral scar for Bumblebee. Even if Ratchet found a way to repair the crushed vocal processor, the youngling would always have to live with the memory of it happening. And that knowledge made Optimus feel like he had failed as Bumblebee's father. He was supposed to protect his son, not send him to possible death.

"I am sorry Bumblebee. None of that should have ever happened to you."

Bumblebee looked up at Optimus, giving him a questioning look.

"You are a youngling, fighting in a war is the last thing that you should have to do," Optimus explained.

_(But I want to fight. It scares me sometimes, but I want to help.)_

"If it scares you Bumblebee, you do not have to do it."

_(I want to though. I want to be just like you.)_

"You act as if nothing scares me Bumblebee."

_(What scares you Optimus?)_

"Losing you and Elita and also failing as a leader."

_(So I guess that you don't like me fighting then.)_

"No Bumblebee I do not and I regret that I had to send you to Tyger Pax."

_(It's not your fault. You had to do what you thought was right as a leader.)_

"As a leader yes, but not as a father."

_(What do you mean?)_

"I should not be sending you into situations where you could be killed. Especially not while you are a youngling."

Bumblebee tried to hide his look of annoyance from Optimus. Whenever it came to him fighting, Optimus always seemed to go into overprotective mode. He didn't mind it too much, after all it was nice to know that Optimus wanted to keep him safe, but it could get annoying at times. He knew that as a youngling he still needed his creators comfort and protection every now and then, but he wasn't a sparkling anymore. They didn't need to coddle him so much; he could take care of himself… well most of the time at least. That being said, he also knew that Optimus and Elita couldn't help the fact that they worried about him and he did his best to reassure them that he was safe. Which was why he decided to wrap his arms around Optimus to give him a hug as his way of saying "Don't worry I'll be fine, see I'm here right now".

_(Well I'm going with you, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz now, so you don't have to worry about me getting killed. I'll be safe.)_

"I hope so little one, but there is still a chance that we will run into trouble. We will not be the only ones after the AllSpark."

_(I know… Optimus I'm scared of coming across Megatron again.)_

Originally Bumblebee had not wanted to tell Optimus of his fear. He had been worried that his father would use that as a reason for him not to go on the AllSpark mission. But now he was thinking that it might be better to just go ahead and tell Optimus everything. It probably wouldn't be good if they did come across the Decepticon leader and Bumblebee just froze.

"Bumblebee I will do everything I can to make sure that Megatron never harms you again."

_(Thanks Op.) _Bumblebee said accidently slipping back into his sparkling nickname for Optimus.

Optimus smiled, "Get some rest now little one. "

_(Okay.)_

Instead of getting up and going to his own berth like Optimus had expected, Bumblebee kept his arms wrapped around him from his earlier hug and drifted off into recharge. The Autobot leader contemplated on prying the youngling's arms off of him and carrying him to his own berth, but decided against it. He didn't want to risk waking him from recharge.

* * *

Elita could not help but smile when she walked into the room and saw Bumblebee snuggled up against Optimus recharging. Optimus looked over at her and motioned for her to come join them on the berth. She sat down on the other side of Bumblebee and carefully placed a servo on his back.

"He has been having nightmares," Optimus quietly said.

"He has? I'm not surprised with what he's been through. Nightmares from battles are the worst."

"Yes, he told me that they are about Tyger Pax. I did not know that he was having them before then."

"Neither did I. He doesn't like telling us when he has nightmares anymore does he?"

"No I do not believe he does. He thinks that he has to be a soldier, not a youngling."

"It makes me miss when he was a sparkling," Elita sighed. "At least then we knew when he had a nightmare by his cries and he talked to us more when he was little so we would know what was wrong with him."

"I regret how this war has made him grow up faster than he should have to."

"Well at least right now he's acting more like a youngling. We should savor this while it lasts, after all this is one of the last orns that we'll get to spend together as a family for a while."

* * *

"_Why didn't you help us?"_

_ The voices continuously haunted him as he lay there on the ground unable to move. It wasn't long before the shadowy figures surrounded him, all of them repeating the same things over and over. _

"_Why didn't you stop them? You knew where it was. You could have saved us." _

_ Bumblebee tried to speak up to tell them that he was sorry, but he couldn't. Suddenly someone started cackling and he soon spotted Megatron standing off in the distance – his vocal processor lying in the Decepticon leader's claws. _

"_What's the matter scout? Can't speak?" _

_ Megatron slowly stalked towards the downed youngling, causing Bumblebee's optics to widen in fear. Once Megatron reached him his placed his pede on Bumblebee's chest, pinning the already motionless Autobot to the ground. _

"_Your voice isn't the only thing that you are about to lose."_

_ Bumblebee watched in compete terror as Megatron's fusion cannon charged up, aimed straight at his head…_

* * *

Bumblebee was jolted from recharge right as dream Megatron fired at him. He was mildly surprised to find that he was sandwiched between Optimus and Elita on their berth. He thought that both of his creators were in recharge, but then felt a servo gently rubbing the back of his head, causing him to look over to see Elita look at him in concern.

"Were you having another nightmare?" she whispered.

The youngling simply nodded and shifted closer to his mother. Elita whispered reassuring words to him, making sure that he knew that he was safe. It took a few breems, but eventually she was able to lull him back into a, hopefully, restful recharge.

"You're safe with us Bumblebee. You're safe."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

It was hard for Elita to believe that it was time for Optimus and Bumblebee to leave. In a matter of joors her sparkmate and son would be leaving her, for who knows how long. It was going to be hard saying goodbye, there was no denying that. She, Optimus, and Bumblebee had never been this far apart before. Elita had heard that long distances could put strains on bonds and even weaken them after a while. She sincerely hoped that would not happen to them or to Ironhide and Chromia for that matter. Only a little ways away from her, her sister and the weapons specialist were saying their goodbyes to one another.

"Are you going to be alright?" Optimus asked wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm going to miss you," she replied leaning into her sparkmate's embrace.

"I will miss you as well," he quietly said.

"Where's Bumblebee?"

"He is saying goodbye to Arcee and then to Chromia, he will be back here shortly."

"Stay safe when you leave and please do whatever you can to make sure that Megatron never lays a servo on Bumblebee if you come across him. He's finally starting to recharge better; I don't want him to have a relapse of nightmares."

"I will not allow him to harm our son again Elita. I promise you this."

"I know you won't."

The two of them remained silent for the next few breems, simply savoring the time they had left with each other. It wasn't long before Bumblebee made his way over to them, and Elita broke away from Optimus to give her youngling a goodbye hug.

"Bumblebee I want you to promise me that you'll tell Optimus if you have a nightmare or if something's wrong, alright? No hiding anything."

_(I won't, I promise. I'll miss you 'Lita.)_

"I'll miss you too. But we'll all be together again before you know it. Now listen to Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz, and stay out of trouble."

_(I will. Bye Elita.)_

"Goodbye Bumblebee," Elita quietly said before giving him one last hug before letting go, turning back to Optimus, and embracing him one last time.

"If things get too bad here on Cybertron, take your sisters, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and anyone else you can off the planet. I do not want to lose you."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm going to be more worried about you. You're the one going off to who knows where."

"Yes, but you are the one remaining on a dying planet."

"And I'll only remain here as long as it's safe. When things get too bad, I'll leave with everyone else and I will come find you and Bumblebee."

"Good. I love you Elita."

"I love you too. Good luck."

* * *

Bumblebee watched out the window of the ship as Cybertron slowly shrunk below them. It was a saddening and yet exciting feeling, seeing his home and everyone on it slowly disappear from his sight. He was going to miss Cybertron and all of his family and friends that were still on it, but he was excited, and a little nervous, about their journey and what they would find.

"Bumblebee would you please sit down," Ratchet said in an annoyed tone. "You can get up in a little while."

The yellow youngling let out a small sigh and sat back down in his seat. Ratchet didn't understand that he wanted to look out and see what all was happening, something he couldn't do while sitting. He was quite a bit smaller than most of them. Bumblebee felt bad for Jazz, the only one onboard that was smaller than he was. The silver mech could see even less than he could, but it didn't seem to bother him as much.

_(Perhaps you will be able to see better next time, little one.) _Optimus transmitted through their bond.

_(I'd rather see now. Why can't I get up?)_

_(It is not safe Bumblebee. If something went wrong there is a chance that you could end up getting hurt.)_

_(But it's not fair. You, Ratchet, and Ironhide are big enough to see out. I'm too small.)_

_(Bumblebee…)_

_(Fine, I won't get up.)_

Bumblebee crossed his arms and stared blankly at the control panels in front of him. This was so boring – another reason why he'd rather be up walking around or simply looking out the window like he had been doing before. At least then he would have something to keep him occupied instead of just sitting and staring at control panels that he wasn't supposed to mess with. After what felt like joors to the youngling, Optimus finally told him that he was allowed to get of his seat. The scout wasted no time in getting up and heading out of the bridge of the ship as fast as possible.

"Guess 'Bee doesn't want to sit around very long," Jazz chuckled watching Bumblebee leave.

"As if he ever has," Ironhide added. "He'll be back after he's explored every corner of the ship."

"Or until he's tired," Jazz suggested. "That'll probably happen first."

* * *

_This place is pretty big,_ Bumblebee thought to himself as he wandered down another hallway.

While the ship was much smaller than their base on Cybertron, it was still much larger than he had originally thought it would be. Of course he had spent practically all of his life in two bases, with the occasional visit to wherever Elita was at when she couldn't come visit him and Optimus, so probably most places would be bigger than he had expected. So far he had found a med-bay for Ratchet, a rec-room of sorts where they would have energon, and a few storage rooms. Now he was trying to locate the rooms where they would recharge, and he was sure that there was some sort of firing range or training room somewhere onboard as well. It was hard for him to imagine Ironhide coming on board without some place for him to use his cannons.

"There you are Bumblebee."

Bumblebee visibly jumped before turning around and bumping into Optimus' leg.

_(Oops, sorry Optimus, I didn't know you were here.)_

"It is alright, little one. It is getting late and I believe that it is time for you to recharge."

_(But I'm not tired.)_

"Were you not looking for the recharge rooms?"

Bumblebee briefly wondered how Optimus knew that, but quickly realized that his father knew him too well.

_(Well yeah.)_

"Then what are your objections?"

_(Fine, but did you tell the others that they need to recharge too?)_

"We are not too far along to where we could not turn around and take you back Bumblebee. Remember that you promised Elita that you would listen and you need to remember that I am not only your leader, but I am also your father. If I tell you to recharge, it is time for you to recharge."

_(Yes, sir. Umm, which way are the recharge rooms again?)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it. If I did, Bumblebee being Optimus' son would be canon.**

* * *

Bumblebee sighed as he flipped through the history data-pad that Optimus had given him to read a few joors ago. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that his father had decided to try to teach him while they were on the ship, but honestly he hadn't expected it. Because of the war, there were no longer schools on Cybertron. The Youth Sectors would have been the place where he would have gotten an education if they hadn't been destroyed. Since it had been destroyed, the duty of teaching him had fallen to his creators. While they had taken turns teaching him different things, Optimus had been his sole teacher when it came to history. Though once he had started training with Ironhide, lessons had started to stop. Now it looked like they were going to start again while they were searching for the AllSpark.

Truthfully, while he didn't mind reading about Cybertron's past, he liked it much better when Optimus told him different stories about it instead. Both of his creators, and most of the other Autobots, had lived during Cybertron's Golden Age, so there were always plenty of stories for them to tell him. Plus, Optimus had been told other stories of Cybertron's past when he had been a youngling, and he never minded sharing them with Bumblebee. Except for a few stories that he said that he would tell Bumblebee when he was older. Briefly Bumblebee wondered if Optimus was busy at the moment. Maybe if he wasn't he would tell him one of the stories now. With that thought in mind, the youngling hopped off his berth and headed towards the bridge of the ship – knowing that that was most likely where Optimus would be found.

* * *

Optimus was looking over the scanner at the bridge of the ship, looking for any possible signs of the AllSpark, when he heard Bumblebee walk in.

"Hello, little one."

_(Hi Optimus, are you busy?)_

"Why do you ask?"

_(I was wondering if you could tell me a story.)_

The Autobot leader turned his head to see that Bumblebee was holding the history data-pad that he had given him. He knew that his son enjoyed hearing stories about Cybertron's past from others instead of reading about them himself. He had asked him why that was once, and the youngling had replied that it was more real when others told it to him. Optimus always enjoyed telling some of the stories to Bumblebee, but at the moment he couldn't. He needed to pinpoint a sector that the AllSpark could possibly be in.

"I cannot at the moment Bumblebee. Perhaps in a little while I can tell you a story."

_(Oh, okay… Hey Optimus, do you think we'll find the AllSpark?)_

"I hope so, little one."

_(Do you think the war will be over when we find it?)_

"I do not know. We will have to wait and see," Optimus sighed. "Now I really need to finish this Bumblebee."

_(Sorry… I didn't mean to bother you.)_

Optimus could detect a hint of sadness coming from Bumblebee. It was clear to him that the youngling was simply bored and was wanting someone to talk to. He supposed he could spare a few breems to talk to his son.

"Come here Bumblebee."

Bumblebee perked up and walked closer to Optimus, where he was promptly picked up and placed on the Autobot leader's lap – causing Bumblebee to look up at his father in surprise.

"I wish that you could have lived during Cybertron's Golden Age, little one. There would have been plenty of younglings and sparklings for you to play with. You would have been able to have had more fun."

_(And you and Elita wouldn't have had to worry about me.) _Bumblebee chimed in.

"I do not know about that. Elita and I would have still worried about you, but perhaps not as much. Though one thing I do know is that you would not have had to grow up so quickly."

_(I haven't grown up quickly.)_

"Yes, little one you have. There are times, such as now; that you allow yourself to act like a youngling, but other times you try to act older than what you really are. I would have preferred for you to remain being a youngling for as long as you could."

_(Do you ever wish that you and Elita had waited until the war was over to have me?)_

"Sometimes, yes, I do. If only because I would have liked for you to have never experienced the horrors of war," Optimus stated sadly. "And so we would not have to be cautious of who knows that you are our son."

Optimus never liked having to be distant from Bumblebee whenever an Autobot who was not aware of their relation was around. Majority of the Autobots that were under his command had no idea that their leader had a son. Once he was sure that the war was over, that would be one of the first things he would reveal. He just hoped that Bumblebee would still be a youngling when the war was over. There was still quite a few vorns left until Bumblebee would be fully grown, surely the war wouldn't last that much longer.

He could feel Bumblebee curl up closer to him, resting his helm underneath his chin. It always amazed Optimus how small Bumblebee still was. While he was slightly taller than some of the other Autobots, he barely came up to the leader's thigh. If he wanted to or if he had to, Optimus could still carry Bumblebee around.

_(I'm sorry.)_

"What are you sorry for Bumblebee?"

_(That you have to work so hard to make sure that no one finds out that I'm your son.)_

"That is nothing you need to apologize for little one. I promise you that once this war is over and I no longer have to worry about one of the Decepticons attempting to kill you, we will no longer keep this a secret."

_(Hey Optimus?)_

"Yes?"

_(Would you and Elita still have had me even if there hadn't of been a war?)_

"Of course we would have. More than likely, we would have had you a lot sooner. And you probably would not have been our only sparkling; you would have had some siblings."

_(I could still have some siblings.)_

"Yes, I suppose you still could," Optimus chuckled. "But I believe that we will wait until the war is completely over before Elita and I decide if we want to have any more sparklings. Right now, you are all we need."

_(I am?)_

"You are. I do not know what we would do if we lost you."

_(Well don't worry, you won't lose me.)_

"I certainly hope that we will not."

Before either of them could say anything else a small beeping came from one of the monitors. Bumblebee got up and walked over with his father to see what it was about. Optimus studied the data on the monitor intently for several breems.

"Bumblebee go get Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. I believe we may have found the AllSpark.

* * *

"Are you certain that's where the AllSpark is located?" Ratchet asked.

"It appears to be Ratchet," Optimus replied.

"It will take us several orns before we reach that sector," the medic added.

"So what's the plan?" Jazz questioned.

"When we get to the sector we will send Bumblebee down to any of the planets to do some scouting to see if he can pick up a lead. If he finds nothing, or if things on the planet are too dangerous, he will report to us and we will get him off. If he does find anything, he will send us a signal and we will join him."

With any luck, they would be able to find the AllSpark soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: As always I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

Optimus watched as Bumblebee trained with Ironhide and Jazz. All of them had decided that the youngling could use a little bit more training before they reached the sector where they believed the AllSpark would be, just in case he ran into some trouble before they were able to reach him. That thought made Optimus worry. He didn't want to think that Bumblebee could run into trouble and possibly get hurt again, and he would be helpless to stop it… again. The Autobot leader tried to push those thoughts out of his mind and returned his focus to his son's training.

"Why is it that you never train him?" Ratchet asked as he walked up next to Optimus.

"I've helped occasionally," Optimus reminded. "Ironhide does a better job at teaching him combat."

"That's true," Ratchet said as he watched Bumblebee dodge a blow from Ironhide. "But you know that wasn't what I was talking about."

"No. He's not ready for that."

"You weren't much older than him when Sentinel started training you."

"The circumstances were different. Megatron and I had asked him to begin training us, Bumblebee hasn't asked."

"Bumblebee doesn't know. Optimus you are going to have to tell that youngling about the Dynasty of Primes at some point."

"To be fair Ratchet, there are many things about the Dynasty that I myself do not know. Sentinel was only able to tell me and Megatron what little he knew about the Dynasty. Many stories of it have been lost in history."

Before Ratchet could say anything else, Bumblebee started walking towards them. It was clear from the tired expression on his face that he was done with training for now. As soon as Bumblebee got over to them, he tiredly leaned against Optimus. The Autobot leader smiled as he wrapped his arm around his son.

_(Did you see me Optimus?)_

"I did. You did a good job, but now I think it's time for you to recharge."

_(I don't… okay.)_

Bumblebee's optics shuttered as he started to fall into recharge while still leaning against his father. Optimus picked up Bumblebee and let him lay his head against his shoulder. It wasn't long until the youngling had fallen into recharge. Optimus started to walk to Bumblebee's room, with Ratchet walking beside him.

"He does not normally get this tired after training, Ratchet," Optimus said with concern.

"Remember that he hasn't been very active lately Optimus since Tyger Pax. He is still recovering after all. By the time that we get to the sector, he should be fine."

"I hope so."

"Has he been recharging better?"

"As far as I know, he has. He has not come to me telling me that he has had any nightmares, and he promised Elita that he would. But…"

"But you think he may still be having them and not telling you anyway?"

"Yes. I do not want to believe that he would do that, but there is always a chance. He is recharging in his own room, I do not know if he is waking with a nightmare."

"Hmm… perhaps you should keep him in your room for now. That way you can find out if he's still having his nightmares. It would not be surprising if he is. A traumatic experience like the one he has been though, doesn't just vanish easily. And Bumblebee is fairly good at hiding what's bothering him, a trait I'm going to say he picked up from you."

* * *

Bumblebee thrashed on the berth as a pained expression appeared on his face. Optimus watched with a sad gaze as his son had another nightmare. The thought that this most likely wasn't the first nightmare the youngling had had since boarding the ship, was unsettling to say the least. With a sigh, he sat down on the berth and gently started to rub small circles on Bumblebee's head. It only took a few breems for Bumblebee to calm down slightly. A few more breems later he woke up and gazed up at Optimus in confusion. Optimus simply shook his head and helped the youngling to sit up.

_(Why am I in here?)_

"How long have you been having nightmares?" Optimus asked, completely ignoring his son's question. When Bumblebee didn't answer, Optimus pressed on. "Bumblebee, you promised Elita that you would tell me if you were having nightmares. Why haven't you?"

_(I hadn't been having nightmares. Then we picked up the sector where the AllSpark is at, and they started up again. I didn't want you to change your mind about sending me…)_ Bumblebee answered honestly.

"Going back on your promise to Elita _is _making me reconsider sending you. I would be just as content keeping you on this ship, and sending someone else in your place. You are not keeping your promises and you are not letting yourself get any help by not telling me."

_(I'm sorry. I was scared…)_

Optimus remained silent, causing Bumblebee to shift uncomfortably. In truth, Optimus was unsure what he should do. He was disappointed that his son had gone back on his promise, but at the same time he could somewhat understand why he had. Unfortunately it also fell back on what Ratchet had said to him before. Bumblebee took after Optimus when it came to hiding what he was feeling. Of everything he could have picked up from him, it had to be that. Of course there was a difference for why Optimus did it. He was a leader in a war; he couldn't let the others know when he was worried or upset about things. Bumblebee on the other hand was a youngling, telling the others what was wrong with him was crucial at his current stage in life. They needed to know, so they could help him through all of his fears.

"I do not understand why you hate having to tell me when something is bothering you little one."

_(I don't want you to think I can't do anything without getting scared…)_

"Bumblebee, I do not think that. But you need to remember that it is alright for you to be afraid as long as you do not hide your fears from those who can help you."

_(I'm sorry I didn't tell you.)_

"Tell me when you have a nightmare from now on. I want to help you Bumblebee and I cannot if I do not know what is wrong."

_(I will from now on. I promise.)_

"And to make sure that you keep that promise, you are going to stay in here for a while."

_(Really?)_

"Yes. I will ask Ratchet for a spare berth to put in here tomorrow."

Bumblebee nodded his head and curled up against Optimus, ready to go back to recharge. Optimus pulled the youngling closer and let his son rest his head near his spark. Hopefully the close proximity would help ward off any other nightmares, or if they did come, it would give Bumblebee more comfort and help him feel safe. It wasn't long until Bumblebee fell into a restful recharge with Optimus falling into one soon after.

* * *

Ratchet looked at the youngling sitting on the medical berth with a slight hesitation. He needed to do a checkup on Bumblebee, more specifically his vocal processor. The only problem was that he wasn't sure how the scout would end up reacting when he started to look at it. Would he remain calm or would he end up freaking out having flashbacks of Tyger Pax? It wasn't unheard of for something like that to happen. A medic would be looking at a wound and their patient would start to panic and fight them. He sincerely hoped that that wouldn't be the case with Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, I'm going to examine your vocal processor," Ratchet calmly explained. "Remember that you're safe and no one is going to hurt you."

The medic received a very confused look from Bumblebee; clearly the youngling had no idea why he was telling him these things. Ratchet proceeded and began to look at the wound. Everything went smoothly at first, but the moment Ratchet touched the youngling's throat, Bumblebee tensed up. Immediately he pulled back and looked at Bumblebee. The youngling was tightly gripping the berth and his optics were tightly shut.

"Bumblebee?" he asked in concern.

_: I'm fine. : _Bumblebee sent through the comm. _: It just hurts. :_

"I'm sorry, but I need to get a better look at it. I'll give you something to relieve the pain when I'm finished. Alright?"

_: Okay. Can Optimus come in here? :_

"Optimus needs to finish something else right now."

_: Oh. Can you go ahead and finish Ratchet? : _

"Yes."

As Ratchet went back to examining his vocal processor, Bumblebee kept his optics tightly shut and his grip firm on the berth. He tried his best to ignore the burning pain that coursed through his body when Ratchet touched his wound. It wasn't too bad, nowhere near as bad as when it first happened. He had to quickly steer himself away from those thoughts. He didn't want to remember Tyger Pax at all, especially not right now. After what felt like orns to Bumblebee, but in fact had only been several breems, Ratchet finished and stepped away from the scout to go get a pain reliever for him. After Bumblebee took it, the pain slowly started to ebb away, but drowsiness took its place.

"All done," Ratchet said. "I'm going to try to find a way to fix your vocal processor Bumblebee, I promise you that. Now that pain reliever is going to make you a little tired, so go lay down in yours and Optimus' room and recharge for a little while. You're going to need it – I think Ironhide wants to train some more later."

_: Thank you Ratchet. : _

Ratchet smiled as the youngling walked out of the med-bay. He would make sure that he got his voice back somehow. There had to be a way to fix it.

* * *

Bumblebee stumbled into the room he was now sharing with Optimus. When Ratchet said that the pain reliever was going to make him tired, he hadn't been kidding. Bumblebee just hadn't expected that he would have trouble actually getting back to his room. Only a moment after he entered, Optimus came over and helped him over to his berth, telling him that Ratchet had told him that he might end up falling into recharge before he made it there.

_(Did he tell you that he's going to try to find a way to fix my vocal processor?)_ Bumblebee asked as he lay down.

"He did," Optimus smiled.

_(I hope he can fix it.)_

"So do I, little one," Optimus said as Bumblebee fell into recharge. "So do I."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

"_You know, Ratchet's going to get annoyed if we keep doing this."_

_Optimus turned his head to look at his sparkmate, "Can you say no to him?"_

_ Both of them looked down at the sparkling that was sitting next to their berth, his baby blue optics silently pleading to be let back into his creators' berth. Over the past few orns, Optimus and Elita had been trying to get Bumblebee to start recharging in his own berth – as Ratchet had put it, the sparkling needed to learn to be a little independent in case there was a time when both Optimus and Elita had to be away from the base at the same time. Bumblebee had absolutely hated it, and would always come back to them a short while after they had put him in his berth. Neither of them had been able to deny their son what he wanted. They knew that he felt safer when he was with them, and truthfully they preferred to have him where they could keep a closer watch over him. _

"_No, I can't," Elita sighed. _

_ Optimus gently picked Bumblebee up and sat him down between him and Elita. Immediately the sparkling smiled and curled up next to them. _

"_Why do you not like recharging in your own berth little one?" Optimus gently questioned. _

"_It lonely and cold Op, I no like it."_

"_But you're not cold or lonely with us," Elita cooed to him._

"_No," the sparkling shook his head. "I happy Lita."_

"_I'm glad that you're happy, but now I think that my little Bumblebee needs to recharge."_

_ Bumblebee giggled, but curled up closer to Elita with his head resting over where her spark was located. A few moments later, he reached out trying to get Optimus to come closer. Optimus moved a little closer to allow the back of his son's head was lying against his chest. Elita smiled as Optimus wrapped an arm around her, and covered Bumblebee's body as well. _

"_I really don't mind if he recharges with us," she whispered. "Ratchet may not think it's a good idea, but we are his creators. We know what's best for him."_

"_Yes," he murmured in agreement. "And with a war going on, if this is what makes him happy we should let him stay with us. He can recharge in his own berth when he's ready."_

_ The next orn, Optimus told Ratchet was his and Elita's decision was. As predicted, the medic disagreed with them greatly, but Optimus explained to him their reasoning. _

"_You won't be thinking the same thing when he's older and still in your berth," the medic had shook his head in defeat._

* * *

A small form pressing against him, woke Optimus from recharge. Gently he turned around to see that Bumblebee had crawled into his berth and fallen back into recharge. Ratchet had been wrong when he had said that he wouldn't like when Bumblebee was recharging in his berth when he was no longer a sparkling. If it made his son feel better, he was perfectly fine with it. Especially because it also meant that Bumblebee was acting more like a youngling, as he should be. It was refreshing to see Bumblebee acting closer to his age instead of older. He knew it wouldn't last long though. It would only be a few more orns before they would arrive in the AllSpark's sector. When they got there and Bumblebee began his scouting mission, he would go back to acting like an adult soldier. At that thought, Optimus gently pulled his son a little closer – an action that unfortunately woke the slumbering youngling.

_(Optimus?)_

"Shh little one, go back to recharge."

_(Did I wake you up?)_

"No, it's alright."

Bumblebee seemed to accept his answer and curled up closer to him.

_(Optimus, I won't be alone looking for the AllSpark for long will I?)_

"I hope not little one."

_(Me too. I keep having a dream where I'm all alone, and I don't like it.)_

"You've never enjoyed being alone Bumblebee, not even when you were a sparkling."

_(Why's that?)_

"I am not sure. It may be from where we had sent you to the Youth Sectors before they were destroyed, or it may be from where Megatron had taken you from Elita and me."

_(How come no one has told me what happened when Megatron sparklingnapped me?)_

"We never thought you wanted to know."

_(I don't know if I do.)_ Bumblebee shifted slightly. _(But I'm curious…)_

"If you are not sure if you want to know, then I am not going to tell you any details. I will tell you that you were traumatized afterwards and hated to be away from me."

_(I did)_

"Yes. You would be quite upset when I was not around you. We eventually had to have you stay with Ironhide and Chromia for an orn, just so you could see that you would be fine if Elita and I were not with you."

_(I didn't like that did I?)_

"According to Ironhide, you did not at first. But you did realize that you were safe with them, though you were very happy when Elita and I came to get you the next orn."

_(Of course I was happy. You two are my creators; I would have wanted to be with you and Elita. Ironhide and Chromia are great, but they're not you two.)_

"That is very sweet of you to say Bumblebee. Now I believe that you should be recharging."

Bumblebee moved and rested his head against Optimus' chest, just like he would do when he was younger or not feeling very well. Soon he was fast in recharge with Optimus' arm wrapped around him. Optimus smiled at his recharging son and gently rubbed the back of his head. The youngling let out a small contented click and snuggled closer his father. Optimus really did hope that Bumblebee would be able to find the AllSpark soon after he started his mission. He knew that he would be worrying nonstop about his youngling until he was with him again. He had the exact same feelings with Elita, and as he closed his optics to go to recharge, he wondered what she was doing that very moment.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

Training with Ironhide was never much fun for Bumblebee. Of course training was rarely fun in the first place, but at least some of the other 'Bots that trained him tried to make it somewhat like a game for him. Jazz was the one who did that for him the most. But Ironhide never tried to make training fun for the youngling scout. With the weapons specialist, training had to be taken seriously. After all, one orn training might save his life. Bumblebee knew all of that very well, but he still dreaded having to go train. He would rather stay with Optimus and have his father tell him more stories. Unfortunately that couldn't happen. He had to train because it was only a matter of time before he would start his scouting mission. Bumblebee had to be ready to take care of himself when he was off by himself.

The thought of being by himself on the mission for a while, made Bumblebee feel nervous. He didn't understand exactly why he felt that way. It wasn't like he hadn't been on missions by himself before. Of course those missions had been very short. Bumblebee had no idea how long this one would last. Optimus had told him that he had always hated being alone, so maybe his nervousness shouldn't have surprised him too much. He was just going to have to stop thinking about it. Maybe then it wouldn't bother him as much.

"Are you coming youngling?"

Ironhide's gruff voice startled Bumblebee, making him jump slightly. Bumblebee felt slightly embarrassed for getting startled. He was a scout for crying out loud! He should have noticed that Ironhide had entered the room and not have allowed him to surprise him. Bumblebee hoped that Ironhide hadn't noticed – he really didn't want to get scolded for not paying more attention to what was going on around him. As he walked over to the weapons specialist he thought he had actually got off of the hook, until Ironhide slightly smacked the back of his head. Bumblebee winced and rubbed his head.

"You need to pay more attention Bumblebee."

_: Sorry 'Hide. But it's not like anything was going to hurt me here. I mean we're on a ship. :_

"You should still pay more attention."

_: Fine, I will. Did you really have to hit me though? It hurts. :_

"I didn't hit you that hard. Now come on."

Bumblebee followed Ironhide into the training room, immediately noticing several targets had been set up for him. At least he now knew what his training was going to consist of, and on the bright side weapons training was nowhere near as bad as hand to hand combat training. With weapons training he normally didn't end up being extremely sore and exhausted afterwards. Of course occasionally Ironhide could get rather critical with this type of training. The youngling was pretty sure that sometimes the weapons specialist forgot that not everyone had weapons that could cause as much damage as his could.

"Alright, start shooting."

* * *

Optimus stood at the entrance to the training room, watching as his son trained with Ironhide. The Autobot leader tried to always watch at least a little of Bumblebee's training, whether the youngling knew he was there or not. He wasn't quite sure why he did it; perhaps it was to remind himself that Bumblebee knew how to take care of himself. And he could, perfectly well as the youngling's shots told him. Bumblebee was hitting almost all of the targets with ease. Optimus would have thought that that would put his mind at ease about Bumblebee going off on his own for his scouting mission, but it didn't. He was fairly certain that there would never be a time when he felt like he no longer had to protect his son. It was an interesting thing, the older Bumblebee got, the more protective towards him Optimus felt. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was becoming harder to shelter Bumblebee from everything around them without revealing to everyone that he was his son.

Right then Bumblebee turned around and spotted Optimus in the doorway. Optimus could feel that his youngling was happy to have him there through their bond, as well as see it on his face. Ironhide noticed him as well, and shook his head before telling Bumblebee he could take a break. Almost instantly, the youngling rushed over to the Autobot leader.

_(Hi Optimus!)_

"Hello little one."

_(What are you doing here?)_

"I wanted to come see how your training is going. You are doing a good job." Optimus gently rubbed the back of Bumblebee's head.

_(Optimus, stop.) _Bumblebee whined as he tried to push Optimus' servo off of his head. It always made him tired when someone rubbed the back of his head. He didn't know why, but it did.

"It is good to know that I will always have some way to get you to recharge," Optimus mused.

_(Yeah, but I don't need to recharge right now. I won't be able to finish training with Ironhide if I do. Then he'll be grumpy.)_

"I suppose you are right Bumblebee."

_(Hey Optimus, once I finish training with Ironhide, do you think you could tell me another story later?)_

"I believe I could that."

Optimus gave a smile at Bumblebee's visible happiness at his words. The Autobot leader noticed that Ironhide was waiting for Bumblebee, which told him that the youngling's break was now over. He rubbed his son's head one more time and before he let him go back over to the weapons specialist. They could spend more time together later.

Bumblebee walked back over to Ironhide to get back to training. He was looking forward to being finished so he could hear a story from Optimus. He knew that there was most likely only a few more orns before his mission would start. And spending time with his father before that happened sounded like a good idea to the youngling.

_: So what are we doing now 'Hide? : _

"Hand to hand. After that you'll be done for the orn."

* * *

By the time Bumblebee had finished his training with Ironhide, he was sore and exhausted. He had avoided being hit by Ironhide for quite a while, he had even got in a few hits, but eventually Ironhide managed to hit him and it had hurt. The scout was fairly certain that Ironhide hadn't meant to hit him too hard, but it didn't change the fact that he had and now various parts of his body were aching. Now all he wanted to do was curl up on his berth and try to recharge for a little while so he would hopefully feel a little better. When he walked into the room that he was sharing with Optimus, he found that his father was already waiting for him.

"Ironhide told me that he may have hit you a little harder than he should when you were training. Are you alright?"

Bumblebee nodded. _(I'm just a little tired and sore.)_

"I believe that you should recharge for a little while then, little one," Optimus stated, leading Bumblebee over to his berth.

_(But you're supposed to tell me a story.)_

"I will tell you one as soon as you wake. Now recharge."

_(Will you stay in here with me?)_

"If you would like me to."

Optimus sat down on the berth as Bumblebee laid down. He started to rub the back of the youngling's head like he had before, only this time Bumblebee did not protest. Instead the youngling curled up close to his father as he fell into recharge. Optimus kept a close watch over his son, so a sudden comm. from Ratchet nearly startled him.

: Optimus, we may be arriving at the sector sooner than we previously thought. :

: How close are we Ratchet? :

: We should be there in one orn. :

Optimus gazed back down at his son thinking, '_It's almost time little one, it's almost time.' _


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.**

* * *

_Back on Cybertron..._

Elita stood silently as she observed the damage on Cybertron. How much longer would they be able to remain on it? She hated the thought of abandoning her home, but she couldn't risk everyone else's lives. In Optimus' absence, she was the one who had to decide if it was too risky to remain there anymore. And then of course she was constantly worrying about Optimus and Bumblebee. She wanted to be with them so badly. To know what was happening with them and to know that they were alright. Elita wanted to be there in case her youngling got hurt, so she could comfort him and make him feel better. Her spark literally ached from her separation from them and that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her.

Not being all that familiar with the possible side effects to a strained bond, she had looked around and finally found a datapad that covered it. According to it sparkache was extremely common, and even Chromia had complained of it a few times, but aside from that everything varied between each Cybertronian. Some apparently very irritable, which Elita thought fit Chromia fairly well, and others, like her it seemed, ended up feeling more exhausted. Elita had reasoned that for her it was because she had two strong bonds being strained. If she had just been separated from Optimus, it might not have effected her quite as badly. But Bumblebee being gone as well made the strain worse on her. But she was glad that the youngling had went with Optimus. It was better for her to deal with the majority of the spark strain than it would be for her sparkmate.

"Still tired?"

"A little," Elita replied turning to face Chromia. "I'm just not used to being this far apart from Optimus and Bumblebee for so long."

"I know. I'm not used to being away from Ironhide like this either."

"How's the ship coming along?"

"The Wreckers are saying that it's almost done. I'm going to go by what they say, because I'm not even going to pretend to understand what they're doing."

"Any progress with..." Elita trailed off knowing that her sister would know what she meant.

"He's not out of stasis if that's what you mean. Probably for the best, Sideswipe is going to freak out when he discovers that Sunstreaker is missing."

That had been a tragedy that they had not expected. Only a few short orns ago a fight had broken out between some Decepticons and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. By the time that Elita and her sisters had arrived, the Decepticons were gone, Sideswipe was badly damaged, and Sunstreaker was nowhere to be found. Elita had sent out a message to all Autobots still on Cybertron asking if anyone had seen the golden twin in the hopes that maybe some other Autobot had found him. So far it seemed that the answer to that question was no, and at the rate it was going, they were soon going to have to admit that it was likely that Sunstreaker had been captured. To make matters worse, it would only be a matter of time before they had to leave the dying planet they called their home – making a rescue mission much harder than it needed to be.

"What are we going to do 'Mia? We can't just leave Sunstreaker like this, but we don't have the supplies to find a way to rescue him..."

"I know. I'd hate to leave him with the 'Cons after seeing what they've done to some of their captives."

Elita had to suppress a shudder when her sister mentioned that. They had rescued two Autobots that had been captured by the Decepticons not too long ago. It was another pair of twins, but what had made it hard for Elita was the fact that they were still younglings – close to Bumblebee's age in fact. The Decepticons had decided to see if they could make a combiner out of twins. Whether their results had been successful, Elita had no idea, the two younglings wouldn't say and none of them were going to push the issue on them. But it was clear to see where the 'Cons had attempted their experiment since several of their parts were disproportionate to the other. Her sisters had taken turns taking care of the younglings. At first the two had been extremely quite from their experience, but now that they were feeling more comfortable around them, they were becoming, as Chromia put it, a little obnoxious. But they were younglings and they had been through a lot – it was probably a coping method for them.

"Where's Arcee at?" Elita asked.

"She was watching Skids and Mudflap earlier, I don't know if she's still there or not. Have you noticed that she's been sneaking off?"

The purple femme nodded, "She has the same look in her optics that another sister of mine had when she would sneak off when she first met a certain weapons specialist."

"He wasn't a weapons specialist back then, and don't act like you didn't go off to see Optimus."

"I'm not denying that I did, but I did inform either you or Arcee when I was going to see him. We didn't exactly have the same liberties as you did considering his social standing."

Chromia smiled, "I know. So you think our little sister has finally found herself a mech?"

"It seems that way, but I suppose we won't know for certain until she tells us herself."

* * *

Arcee felt bad about not telling her sisters where she was going or who she was seeing. When she had first met Cliffjumper, she hadn't expected them to be anything other than friends. He had the same frame that her nephew had, the only difference being that Cliffjumper was red. Any other feelings towards him would just be too weird. But as she got to know him, the weirdness started to fade away and she realized how much she really liked him. But she hadn't told her sisters about him. Arcee had wanted to wait and see how things would go between her and Cliff before she said anything. Chromia had pretty much done the same thing with Ironhide, so Arcee hadn't seen any harm in doing it herself.

Now she was certain in her feelings for Cliffjumper and things seemed to be going pretty well between them – well as well as any relationship could go in a time of war – and she was ready to tell Elita and Chromia about him. The only problem was that every time she was getting ready to tell them, something would get in the way. They were too busy, there was something that needed to be done, Chromia was in a bad mood due to her separation from Ironhide, Elita was too tired due to her separation from Optimus and Bumblebee, and then the latest tragedy with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Her relationship with Cliffjumper seemed unimportant compared to the other things going on. Besides she could wait to tell them. It wasn't like she and Cliffjumper were ready to become sparkmates – they hadn't known each other long enough to go that far yet.

"'Cee!"

Arcee turned to see Cliffjumper walking over towards her. She hurried over to meet him and was greeted by a hug from the red mech. The embrace lasted a few breems longer than it normally did – not that Arcee minded of course. She always looked forward to her meetings with Cliff, and she hoped that once she told her sisters about him, the two of them would be able to have more frequent and longer meetings.

"So how have things been with you?" he asked.

"Fine for the most part. We're still asking around trying to find Sunstreaker. Have you heard anything?"

Cliffjumper shook his head, "No. I've asked around, but no one's seen him."

"Sideswipe is going to be crushed. I'm not sure how he'll actually react when we tell him... We'll probably have to restrain him to keep him from running off."

"You know I did have an idea."

"What?" Arcee turned and looked at Cliffjumper curiously.

"Well my team has a ship, it's not as big as the ship that the Wreckers are building, but it's still a pretty good ship. I might could get my team to fly around and do a search for Sunstreaker."

"Oh Cliff, that would be great! I'm sure that will make Sideswipe feel a little better if he knows that someone's looking for his twin."

"You know, there is room on the ship for one more aside from Sunstreaker if we find him. I'd love it if you could come with me 'Cee."

Arcee thought about Cliffjumper's words for a moment. She wanted nothing more than to tell Cliffjumper that she would go with him, but there were other things to consider. The main one was that she needed to tell her sisters about Cliff before she could just go off. They would be worried if she just vanished without telling them where she was going or who she was going with. And she certainly didn't want to cause them any unnecessary worries. The two of them were stressed enough as it was. Once the two of them knew about and met Cliffjumper, it was more likely that they would be alright with letting her go. True she didn't really need their permission – she was not a youngling – but both of them did outrank her and they were her older sisters. It was always better to make sure they were fine with her plans.

"I want to go with you Cliff. I just need to talk to my sisters about it first. In fact, why don't you come with me so they can finally meet you and you can meet them."

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
